The Best Days of Your Life
by Hanaleison
Summary: Naruto has never had a family like you and I. He's never had the love and affection that he craves above all else. What does it take for one person to find their niche in life?


**Hello everyone! My name's Hanaleison - pronounced Ana-lay-song - but you can all call me Hana! I was baking cookies with my mother and the song 'Best Days of Your Life' by Kellie Picker came on and a story idea popped into my head. When I started writing it, I was interrupted every five minutes for something or another so this probably wasn't very well written but I couldn't help but want to share it with you all! I would appreciate it if you review it since this is my first story but it's not necessary - I'm going to write this no matter what and I prefer Favorites or Follows. **

**This story is an AU - just in case you can't tell by the end of it but I think it's pretty obvious. And there will be Sakura Bashing even though I really don't hate Sakura... I actually cried when I realized what I'd done to her but, to me, it makes the most sense for the story flow. And I won't reveal any more so as to let you all get reading - if you're still here after this note... **

**Disclaimer! I regret to inform you all that I do not own Naruto... sob... Kishimoto-sensei owns him...**

**Edit 12/16: I'm so sorry! I just wanted to look over the story one more time and the whole first paragraph was missing! Please forgive me!**

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"Naruto, you need to stop this," a woman stood in one of many rooms in the Uzumaki-Namikaze house addressing the only other occupant of the room. She was rather tall for the fairer sex at 5'10" and rather well-endowed as well. Her blond hair was pulled up into a high pony tail that trailed down her exposed back down to her stockinged knees. "Everyone's worried about you; especially Hinata. Sakura's a bitch so just forget about her. She's not worth it; she was never worth it. Move on."

"I can't just move on, Ino; it's not that easy," said a blonde man who, if you didn't know better, could've been mistaken as the woman's brother. The man was sitting on a bench that you would typically see in front of a piano but was instead in front of an easel. On the easel was a large piece of blueprint paper with the beginnings of the man's latest project on it as well as some doodles that had no relation to the project. In the open drawer of the easel were numerous colored pencils – mainly in white – over sharpened to the point of lethality, a couple of overly used putty erasers, and two pencil sharpeners – one of which was missing the sharpening blade. The man, Naruto, was sitting facing away from the easel with his head in his hands and his shoulders slumped.

"I know it's not but you need to at least try," the woman, Ino, insisted. Her voice had an exasperated and annoyed edge to it that you could barely notice. "That girl messed you up big time and you need to move on. There are plenty of other – better – women out there that would love to have your attention."

"It's not that easy, Ino," Naruto chuckled weakly from in between his hands. "I've loved her since we were still in elementary school; it's been so long, I don't know how to stop loving her. I don't think it's even possible. She's my everything."

"Do you hear yourself? 'She's my everything.' Bullshit!" Ino's voice rose steadily in volume until she was outright yelling. "She was one part of your life; one part! You have other friends, friends who would never do something like this to you. For goodness sakes, even Itachi wouldn't do something like this and he's Itachi! All she's ever done for you is to give you pain."

"I know, Ino…" Naruto looked up, fingers still hiding most of his face from his friend.

"No you don't!" Ino all but screamed at her fellow blond. "From day one she's been nothing but bad for you. She was always punching you and putting you down. She never gave you the time of day until you finally made a name for yourself and then she wanted you. Not because she loved you, but for the papers and the money attached. You were better off being a no-named orphan than the Namikaze heir and expert architect and engineer. Even when you were dating, she treated you like crap… no, a slave! She hardly spent any time with you unless she was getting some or getting her name in the papers. You're much better off without that slut."

"She's not a slut," Naruto defended.

"Oh, she isn't?" Ino questioned, folding her arms over her chest. She glared at Naruto as if she wished he would burst into flame. "Then tell me, oh Mighty Slave, what is she? Because she has slept with more men than one of those _women_ the Happy Witches Hall."

Remaining silent, Naruto stood and walked over to the far window in the darkly lit room and moved one of curtains aside to see the purples and oranges of the late afternoon sky. They stood like that for what seemed like ages before Ino spoke up.

"You can't, can you," Ino said softly. She looked at Naruto with a mixture of sadness and pity in her eyes. "You can't because you've known all this time that she's been cheating, haven't you? You've never had physical proof until now so you chose to ignore it but you knew."

"Yes, I knew," Naruto sighed heavily. "I've known since that big project last June. It was the tiny things; the way that food disappeared quicker than it should've with only two people, why the water bill was so high, why the sheets were changed almost every other day. But I loved her and I didn't want to believe it."

"I'm sorry."

"I know," he smiled faintly as he saw a snowflake fall to the ground in front of the window. Ino, not wanting to intrude for any longer, turned and started for the door to let herself out of the house. Before she could get more than a couple steps, Naruto spoke once more. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone. I'll try to get over this."

"You don't have to forget her, you know," Ino said, turning back to him with an earnest look in her eyes. "Just move on. It doesn't mean that you can't still love her despite what she's done, but there are other people out there. One day you'll find someone better who'll love you for you."

"Thank you, Ino," Naruto smiled at her faintly.

Waving herself out, Ino looked up at the sky freckled with tiny flakes of white powder colored orange in the fading light and hoped for the best. She truly loved Naruto as a younger brother and hated seeing him like this. As the first stars came out to greet the moon, she wished for the bitch to pay for what she'd done to her little brother.

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**A huge THANK YOU! to whomever read this first chapter/prologue/whatever you decide to call it! Fell free to leave a review - again, it's not necessary - and I hope you all will continue to read the coming chapters.**

**Hana over and out! ^.^**


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